Last train home

I don't want to seem like I could have predicted this, but I did. After much planning, our trip to San Francisco didn't seem like it was going to happen. At about 9:15 PM Thursday night, on the spur of the moment we decided to go anyway without any preparation. About 5 hours later that night, after a few rounds of enlightening hookah, a pack of Corona's, a glass of 4 year old wine and some greasy Mexican food from Casa de Taco, we were off on our way to LA Union Station. For some reason, I had a feeling that we were not even going to catch the 4:15 AM bus to Bakersfield, but the three of us (Pejman, Arya, me) happen to catch the bus as it was leaving the station, and thanks to a kind worker, who had morning breath, we were able to halt the bus and make it on.

I was able to sleep through the majority of the 2-hour bus ride to Bakersfield, where we switched over to an Amtrak train that took us to San Francisco. I anticipated the train ride much more than the bus ride because it was my first time on the train here in the states. Even though it was exciting getting on the train and looking for a comfy seat with a nice view, the wow-factor was short lived...I think the 2 hour bus ride killed it for me.

After we arrived to San Francisco, our drop-off location was at San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace. We had a late lunch at DELICArf1, a Japanese delicatessen, where I picked up a few chicken dumplings, steak sushi..which I didn't know existed, and some spinach salad. The market place had an indoor/outdoor food court, but we ended up sitting inside because everything was taken outside. Plus, the afternoon heat was creeping up, so it all worked out perfectly.

The first evening we spent roaming around our hotel called The Palace. It was a classy 1800's hotel that was recently remodeled which gave it a very historic-elegant feel to it. Stained glass ceilings, incredibly tall rooms, crystal chandeliers, and bowls of fresh apples everywhere that were tasty! I really liked the fact that it was decently priced at $215 a night, and it was only a few blocks away from Union Square. Taking advantage of the short distance to the square, that night we ended up eating out at a place called Cafe Andree. Although it only offered a few select dishes, it didn't take long to cozy up in the little restaurant with the help of some Kobe beef platters, a few rounds of Long Island Ice Tea's, and a few Hennesy & 7Up's.

Majority of the second day was spent shopping at Union Square. If it wasn't for the over population of butch girls (can I even call them girls?), but really, if there weren't so many flamboyantly gay people walking the streets and frisking each other in public, I think my salami sandwich I had at the deli that morning would have stayed in a little longer.

The last 2 days we stayed up there we rented these awesome go-cars. They are small, 2 seater go-kart-like cars that are gas powered and go up to 45 miles per hour. We had 3 cars in total and cruised around San Francisco with these on public streets. It was a thrill chasing each other only to find out that we all had the same top speed! Pedestrians were amazed, zipping through traffic was a blast, and best of all...it was a huge relief from the thousands of miles of walking I had been doing the past 2 days!

Honestly, I was surprised by how beautiful of a city San Francisco is. Disregarding all the negative aspects I've mentioned earlier, I still rank San Francisco as one of my top places to live at some point of my life. It must be the atmosphere. The city is not huge, but it's big enough to keep you on your toes and wanting to explore each part of it. The people there are very amiable, except for the bums, who for some reason don't accept left over food as a form of payment (weed or beer only?!). The whole vibe of San Francisco makes it a place that you want to go back to again. The people over there give off a Las Vegas atmosphere, while the architecture embodies a New York downtown feel to it, although I haven't been to New York yet so I'm basing this analogy on pure babble.

I still can't imagine living anywhere else but the valley.